(500) Ways of Casting Off the IMR

Just like Summer teases Tom in (500) Days of Summer, the filmmakers tease the viewers. The IMR (Institutionalized Modes of Representation) system is not a set of rules that were spelled out and declared law by the King of Hollywood, they are a collection of related formulas that evolved from experience in film making and film viewing. Love could be said to have been established in a similar way. There is no right way to have a relationship, but there are certain aspects that are common enough to warrant the title of “normal,” or “law.” Without completely disregarding the established norms, screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber along with director Marc Webb, make it clear through an unorthodox approach that the ideals of love (and film) are not set in stone.

The film begins by showing Tom and Summer together on a bench. She places her hand on his and a wedding ring is clearly seen. The use of the shot/ reverse shot/ shot establishes the relationship between the two. The close up of the ring implies that it’s Summer’s hand on top of Tom’s and that they are together. They share a smile and the audience is led to believe that they are in love and married/engaged/happily-ever-after-ing. The Narrator, however, plainly tells the audience that although this may be a story of boy meets girl, this is not a love story. Even with that warning up front, as well as the hilarious opening credits (“Author's Note: The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Especially you Jenny Beckman. Bitch.”), the audience believes that Tom and Summer will end up together. This idea is perpetuated by the frequent inclusion of IMR elements. The soundtrack choices, which are exceptionally important to the plot, mirror the emotions of Tom, the film’s protagonist. When first introduced, Tom is described by the narrator as a boy who “grew up believing that he'd never truly be happy until the day he met the one. This belief stemmed from early exposure to sad British pop music and a total misreading of the movie The Graduate.” Tom has lived his whole life believing in the power of love, believing that his soul mate is the only person who could make him happy. This belief is so ingrained in him that he can’t fathom another possibility. His idea of a relationship starts with attraction, is strengthened by compatibility, and is then completed when the feelings are reciprocated.  At this point, the process is over and the relationship has been established. His unbelievably mature and insightful little sister, Rachel, is the first to weaken his hold to this idealistic belief. After explaining that they "talked about Bananafish for, like, an hour,” Rachel sighs and drops the first bomb: “Tom, just because she likes the same bizzaro crap you do doesn't mean she's your soul mate.” That’s exactly what Tom thought. He pushes this, along with other warnings from friends and from Summer herself, to the back of his mind and jumps headfirst into what he thinks is the rest of his life. The audience also pushes the warnings from the filmmakers and narrator to the side in order to identify fully with Tom.

Similar to the beginning of Mildred Pierce, the audience sees a scene and makes assumptions based on past experiences or their own personal schema. In this case, the schema is produced from personal relationships but mostly from the portrayal of relationships in film. Chick-flicks, rom-coms, and even most comedies end with the couple getting together. The light, happy colors on the DVD case, the upbeat music accompanying the previews, and the attractiveness of the film’s stars suggest that this movie will follow the path of those rom-coms that have come before. Tom even has a "Disney movie moment" after sleeping with Summer. He's so happy that the world around him celebrates with song, as Disney movies lead us to believe should happen.

And then, just like Mildred Pierce, we are shown the first scene again after all of the facts have been put together and learn that what we had assumed based solely on our experience with other IMR rom-coms was completely false. Tom also comes to this same conclusion about love. Everything he had assumed based on his exposure to sad British pop-music and his preconceived notions about the progression of a relationship based on his own schema turn out to be twisted. This is most obviously shown by the “feelings on Summer” montage. The first time we see it, Tom says that he loves Summer. He loves her knees and her birthmark and her hair and the song, “She’s Like the Wind.” We see the exact same montage of Summer at a later point, after the break up, and he expresses how much he hates her. He hates her knobby knees, the cockroach-shaped splotch on her neck, her stupid hair-cut, and the song “She’s Like the Wind.” He’s realizing that the same things don’t necessarily have one meaning, his sister’s warning suddenly becomes very wise. The audience begins to remember the narrator’s warning at the beginning and suspects the possibility of an alternative ending.

When Summer invites Tom to her rooftop party, he absolutely believes that this is the catalyst needed to get them back together. Her behavior towards him at the wedding would seem to suggest that she is interested in trying again and, based on Tom's personal beliefs, this is what is supposed to happen. The filmmakers show both the expectations and the reality of the situation. On the left we see Tom's expectations played out just as he and the audience think they should based on our personal schema and many of the IMR set ups along the way. On the right we see his reality. Seeing Summer engaged to another man is the incident Tom needs to stop relying on his fantasies and expectations. 

The most obvious deviation from typical IMR film making is the non-linearity of the story telling. The title suggests, and rightfully so, that the course of the film will cover 500 days. The story begins on day 488, though. It jumps to day 1, then back to 48, day 11, and then day 276 (or something like that). Point is, the story is not told with a beginning, middle, and end in that order. We experience our lives chronologically so it would make sense to hear stories or view films in the same manner. This is, no doubt, why the precedent was set within IMR codes. We don’t necessarily remember our lives chronologically, though. If this film is to be used to identify the codes that run our lives and to consciously decide to break (some) of them, then it’s a film about reflection. Tom is encouraged to look back at his relationship with Summer. Rachel advises, “I think you're just remembering the good stuff. Next time you look back, I, uh, I really think you should look again.” Immediately this produces a montage of scenes from their relationship, good and bad, mixed together in no particular order. More generally, though, that’s the framework of the film: Tom and the audience looking again. Instead of seeing the codes, the schema, the predictions, we see the truth. We see Tom’s friends warn him not to get too attached, we hear the narrator explicitly tell us this isn't a love story, and we hear Summer say that she doesn't believe in love.

The use of such obvious IMR elements as S/RS/S, close-ups, and continuity editing (within scenes/days) successfully lull the audience along with Tom into a false sense of security about the outcome of the story. The non-linear storytelling, overt contradictions, and constant warnings from other characters are only acknowledged when looking back, and turn out to be the most honest and telling aspects of the film. I've heard IMR called the Ideal Mode of Representation and can see how this might translate to a film like (500) Days. Love isn't a fairy tale; there is no one right or wrong way to be in a relationship or to express affection for someone. There isn't even one right way to FEEL affection for someone. Tom’s friend is asked to describe his dream girl in comparison to his longtime girlfriend. He says, “I think technically ‘The Girl Of My Dreams’ would probably have like a really bodacious rack, you know, maybe different hair, she’d probably be a little more into sports. But truthfully, Robyn is better than the girl of my dreams. She’s real.” This affront to the “fluff” and idealization that Hollywood perpetuates about love and relationships is reflected by the blatant disregard and mockery of the IMR throughout this film. In the end, the film acknowledges that breaking free from these codes and schemas aren't as easy as wanting to, but that's a topic for another paper.